Punch Metro reports that the Federal Government has charged the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and Senator Bassey Akpan, who represents Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District in Akwa Ibom State, with offences bordering on their alleged refusal and negligence to declare their assets to the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property.
On Wednesday, Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja where two separate sets of charges were instituted against the senators, ordered that the charges and other accompanying papers be served on the two of them through the Clerk of the National Assembly.
The judge, after granting the orders for service through substituted means, fixed October 22 for the next hearing date in respect of Ekweremadu’s case and November 19 for Akpan’s.
The Okoi Obono-Obla-led SPIPRPP had, on behalf of the Federal Government, filed the two separate criminal suits containing two counts each against the senators.
It filed the criminal suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/62/2018 against Ekweremadu on May 11, 2018, while it instituted the one marked FHC/ABJ/CR/88/2018 against Akpan on June 13, 2018.
Details later...